Simulation of incremental sheet forming using partial sheet models

Abstract

Academic and industrial interest in flexible forming has grown rapidly over the last two decades, leading to a large volume of research in this area. However, despite this interest, numerical modelling of the process is still challenging and the mechanics of the process is not yet fully understood. This paper presents fast numerical models for Incremental Sheet Forming. The models are shown to reduce computational time by up to 24 times, with a maximum shape error of 8%. The results suggest that the approach could be used to model process within acceptable time, and could be potentially used to explore the process in more detail using solid (brick) elements.